Make over your classroom
with household items
By Betina Fuentes
W
elcome to the United
Arab Emirates. I am sure
that for many of you, one
of the first things on your
mind is where and how you will be
able to access good quality supplies
for your classroom. Probably you
are reminiscing on the wonderful
classroom you left back home, filled
with resources and displays.
Moving thousands of miles away
can put a serious dent in your supply
chain, but luckily, there are hundreds
of household items that can be used
in place of their more expensive,
specialised counterparts. So, take a
quick trip to Ikea Dubai or Abu Dhabi,
Daiso which is located in most malls
in Al Ain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, or
even your local hypermarket (Lulu and
Carrefour) and pick up some practical,
reasonably priced substitutes to make
your classroom shine!
Small but powerful
Binder clips have more uses than
their original job of holding papers
together. They come in plain or
pretty prints and can be found in the
stationery section of almost every
store. For more high-end prints, check
Paperchase in many malls. Ways to
use binder clips include; using them
to hang projects or decorations from
dropped ceiling tiles, organising work
(label each clip with a student’s name)
and holding small pictures or direction
cards for learning centres.
portfolios. Be sure to use a metal rack
with higher dividers for more efficient
use.
Hang it up
Keep it separated
Clotheslines and clothespins are
the perfect medium for constantly
changing classroom displays. Use
multi-coloured clothespins for extra
fun. Clothespins can also be used on
behaviour charts or to keep track of
work that has been turned in.
Blue painter’s tape (also comes in
many other colours) has long been
a teacher’s secret. Used on the
whiteboard, it keeps daily information
such as date, schedule, assignments
and learning objectives separate from
board work and clear for students
who need to copy them into their
notebooks. Tape can also be used to
create lines on whiteboards to give a
guide for handwriting practice. Many
teachers also use it on the floor to
create interactive coordinate grids,
maps or group areas.
Keep it organised
Shower or picnic caddies with handles
are the perfect organisers for group
table supplies or centre supplies. They
are easily picked up at the end of the
day and stored on shelves. for extra
organising points, take a picture of
how the caddy should look when fully
organised and expect students to
return it to that state before they move
to another activity. Caddies can also
be used to store whiteboard materials
in the front of the room, as well as
supplies for guided reading or small
group instruction.
Rack it up
Use a dish rack in your teacher area for
files, lesson plans and resources. The
cutlery cup can hold pens and pencils
as well. Students can use dish racks to
store clipboards, behaviour folders, or
The key to teaching is to be creative
and flexible. The next time you are in
a store, take a few minutes and check
the household supplies area and think
outside the box. I have seen pretty
placemats used to decorate windows,
wrapping paper as a bulletin board
background, and even contact paper
used to cover desks to make them into
personal whiteboards. Check Pinterest
sites for ideas and make them into your
own. You don’t need fancy teacher
supply stores to make your classroom
into a place where students love to
learn.
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2016 - 2017
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